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LapBandit

LAP-BAND Patients
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Everything posted by LapBandit

  1. LapBandit

    What do you do?

    Eating slowly is sooo hard for me too. Especially if I am delayed by something and don't eat when I should have and get too hungry. But, a trick I have started using is to tell myself the obvious..."slow down...the food isn't going anywhere until I say so" ...just reminding myself that I'm not a puppy and my owner isn't going to take my bowl away is so silly but it just shows how I think about my food sometimes!
  2. LapBandit

    Why'd I just PB?

    I agree...some things just don't agree with me. Especially if I'm overly hungry and eat too quickly. But, if you're brave enough I'd try it again some time. I've had trouble with food on the first try but been OK on the second. My example was with an apple...that darn thing made me feel so terrible but I tried again...chewing even more the next time and it was fine.
  3. LapBandit

    Help....I need some input

    You are probably OK. I have experienced this same sensation after coughing fits too. I don't believe your stitches are in danger or anything. Our ports are tied down into our muscle wall and coughing makes us use those muscles so that's probably what's actually hurting you more...the sore muscle with a port attached to it. It's probably saying "jeez, gimme a break in here!".
  4. LapBandit

    Disgusted

    I am having trouble with focus right now too but we just have to dig down deep into ourselves and find that strength we need to do the right thing for ourselves. Don't do this for anyone else but yourself and you have to boost your confidence and BELIEVE you can do this. Start fresh at your next meal...eat something good and then be proud of yourself and enjoy how much better you feel after eating something healthy rather than how yucky you felt after that crappy McD's!!
  5. LapBandit

    MD Lap-Band Support Group Meeting

    Hey Steve, and all my fellow Marylanders! I, too, was worried that I'd feel like I'm starving all the time. It was one of the things I worried about pre-band. But, I have had my band for about a year and a half and never felt like I was starving. I still get hungry like normal so I eat and stay satisfied for a lot longer than I would have without a band. Part of trick is "what" you eat...if I have a high-carb meal then I feel hungry faster but if it's a high-Protein meal it keeps me satisfied much longer. I hope that info helped.
  6. LapBandit

    Seminar Attended and Consult Scheduled

    Congrats and good luck. You are starting an exciting journey and you're really lucky to have a cousin going through it with you...you two will have LOTS to talk about post-op in your new banded-lives! Of course, we're here too but face-to-face support will be really helpful!
  7. We all adapt to fit our new lifestyle so you are definately not alone! Whatever floats your boat, I guess!
  8. LapBandit

    Pre-op diet queston

    I was allowed to have broth. Actually, I was allowed to have any liquid that was smooth, low cal, sugar-free and very low fat. The fat and sugar were the two things that my doc needed me to avoid to help with the whole liver shrinkage thing! But, if you are in doubt maybe you better ask your doctor.
  9. LapBandit

    DO I need an unfill

    hey mommi, you are absolutely correct about the water weight. There is no way you ate enough to gain 2 pounds in two days so don't sweat it. Water weight is a strange beast that still freaks me out some days! I agree, being too tight is no way to go. But, I am always told to try waiting one week unless you cannot swallow liquids because the fill sometimes take a week or so to settle into position. For me it's almost always a week to see where my fill really put me.
  10. LapBandit

    not hungry at all

    This is a normal stage. Enjoy it, because it won't last much longer! Yes, keep doing what you can to get in some nutrition. The only supplement I was require to take is a good multivitamin and calcium chews but ask your surgeon what they recommend. Otherwise, I called this my "honeymoon" phase and some days I wish I were still in it!
  11. LapBandit

    Office Worker tips.

    Wow, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one struggling at work. But sad that we're all stuck dealing with it! Between the stress and the non-stop Snacks and "luncheons" I can hardly stand going to work because that's where I lose my will power. For example, yesterday was a Thanksgiving luncheon...two conference tables filled with food and Desserts. I look like a butt if I don't participate but then I try to control myself and still end up eating more calories at lunch than I should in the entire day. It is so frustrating. Then, if I hear one more skinny person at work complaining that "they're sooooo fat" I am going to flip out. Sorry...but this thread is EXACTLY what I need right now to release some venting!
  12. LapBandit

    Surgery After The Band?

    Nope, no surgery but yes...definately tell your new surgeon that you have the band!! I'd say that's a 100% certainty that they should know about it, even if it doesn't matter in terms of your procedure. I think your surgeon is the only one who can determine whether or not your band complicates anything since he's the one who knows where he'll be working. I've got no clue where your thryoid is in comparison to your band...strange, I know I have one but I don't know where it is in my body!! Never thought about it before! Good luck with your thyroid surgery!
  13. LapBandit

    75 gone....look out for the new ME

    Hi Dave, congratulations!!! I read the Body-For-Life book too! Actually, I follow Bill Phillips "Eating for Life" book. That's the program my doctor requires! I'm not disciplined enough to follow his Body-For-Life plan as he has written but I try to incorporate some of his technique into my workouts as far as using intervals. Keep up the great work!
  14. LapBandit

    Mood Swings?

    Yep, I agree. I am still adjusting to many changes which have affected my mood. Both my band-doc and gyno agree that losing a lot of weight can get your hormones out of whack. So, please don't do anything harmful to yourself...talk to someone...your band doc, a counselor...SOMEONE because you don't have to suffer. There's a way to feel better, I don't know what that might be for you as we're all different. But, don't give up! You'll make it through this!
  15. LapBandit

    When you get stuck.....

    I had the same fear and talked to my surgeon about it. I honestly worried that being "stuck" would feel the same as choking, which I wasn't cool with. But, no...it happens lower. You can breathe just fine during a stuck moment. For me, I just feel intense pressure in my upper chest but my body lets me know what it needs to do to fix the problem. Either it fixes it itself and the food passes or it says...get me to a bathroom because this puppy isn't going anywhere but up! It's not vomiting either...for me it's just like open mouth and the culprit makes it way back out. Gross, I know. But, the good thing is that the food is not yet digested so there's no acid involved and once it's out you typically feel like a million bucks again! Don't sweat it...that was one of the things I worried about most and now it's nothing I concern myself with!
  16. LapBandit

    Pantyhose of Choice?

    If you're mainly concerned with comfort then look into the "Just My Size" brand...they're cut a little better for the "less than flat belly". I have to wear pantyhose all the time for work and there is NOTHING I hate worse than pantyhose that roll down off my belly in the middle of a meeting or while walking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  17. The only reasons I could think of for someone needing to have the bypass over the band would be this: The patient needs to drop considerable weight really quickly for an urgent health issue. The patient admits to being unwilling to follow the band's post-op program. So, if I had to guess...the problem is exactly as Jack said...the doctor is too unfamiliar with the band to feel comfortable endorsing it, which is disappointing. My doctor was the same way a year and half ago...I don't know why I would have thought most docs would've gotten the news flash that the band is safe and effective by now!
  18. LapBandit

    Restriction.....

    For me, being "tight" or "restricted" is purely a sensation felt during eating. It's when I feel restricted from being able to eat another bite. I have never felt my band around my stomach. I forget it's there, including during fills. Now, my port area sometimes feels a little tender following a fill just from the pressure from the surgeon pressing to find the port. But, that's like a two hour sensation immediately post-fill...same discomfort you'd feel if someone just pressed on your belly for any other reason. I was worried about what it would feel like to have all that stuff inside me...band, tubing, port but luckily it doesn't feel like a darn thing! I can feel my port if I press on my belly, that's it.
  19. Well, you're being a little tough on yourself but perhaps you should consider coming clean with your doctor. I say this because I have found its REALLY important to have a good relationship with my doc in order to make it through this battle. Sometimes when I'm struggling, my surgeon has the best advice to help me see that the struggle is worth it. Probably your doctor can be a source of support for you as well. Going forward, it will be important to stick to doctor's orders to make the most of this experience. Slipping up and caving into one real meal during liquids is human. Just try to find balance as you go through this. Stick to what you're supposed to do and if you mess up, just mess up once then get back on track. And in the meantime give yourself credit for choosing salads and chicken instead of cake and chips!
  20. LapBandit

    port ?

    Don't feel silly, a lot of people have asked me if my port is visible from the outside. One person even asked me if there was a hole from the outside of my belly into my insides, like a trach in your throat or something! Just like trystelle said...I am almost a year and a half out but I can still see the scar from the outside but otherwise no one will be able to tell you have a port by looking at you. Someone even asked me if my port/band sets off airport scanners...it doesn't!
  21. Well, false alarm. I had restriction for a week but now it's gone again. I guess I'll continue the search for the mystical "sweet spot"! Darn!
  22. I just wanted to share my good news! I have restriction! I haven't had consistent restriction since surgery...my choosing. This whole time I have eaten normal portions of food and would feel satisfied but never "restricted" in the sense that I physically couldn't eat another bite. But now at 11cc's in my VG band I can say that I am restricted! I can eat perfectly fine but once I hit that 1-1 1/2 cup mark I actually get the sensation to STOP. It's amazing. I HOPE it stays and doesn't loosen up again. Now I feel like a real member of the club! The interesting part is trying to get used to it. I went out to dinner tonight and actually took home a doggie bag!
  23. LapBandit

    How stict are you with low carb?

    I can eat all meats as well. I just select tender cuts and chew well. From most of the people I talk to they seem to be able to handle most meats well also as long as you go SLOW and CHEW
  24. OH MY GOODNESS...that is insane!! What kind of bedside manner is THAT??? I would have been freaking out and needed a double-dose of anesthesia!!!!!! Is it possible he was trying to be funny???
  25. Hi mmcbelle...wow we really did start at the same place! You look like you're doing awesome for just being banded last month! WOW! Char, it seems almost all docs have their own estimation of how much we should be eating. Luckily my doctor is OK with whatever amount I can eat as long as it's a healthy food. Everyone can make up their own mind on how they feel about this, but 1/4 cup of food at a time is absolutely not enough for me to live on. Not that it's wrong...just wrong for me. I've been banded for over a year now and have just recently been satisfied on a cup or so at a time. Before this fill I could easily eat a grilled chicken breast, some steamed veggies and a whole-grain carb like brown rice at one sitting. It was a lot more than one cup but nutrionally it was very balanced and healthy so I didn't worry about it. (I was not eating beyond my capacity because that is NOT good for your band...you need to stop when you feel satisfied, not full.) But, for me I was able to do this regularly. My doctor doesn't like us to talk in terms of "how much" or "how many calories"...instead we are supposed to focus on nutrition and listening to the cues our bodies make to let us know we are satisfied. He always said it was his job to let us know if we were eating too much based on what we told him we could eat and how our weight loss was going. Any way, I hear a lot of other bandsters talking about the 1 cup range which never seemed possible to me until recently, so that's the only reason I think it's cool that "I'm with everyone else" in that regard! I hope that all made sense!

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